From Yellowstone National Park where spring feels
about three weeks ahead of schedule This is that
Scott guy you know in love with a brand new episode
of this week in Yellowstone What's up everybody?
This week in Yellowstone National Park from March
26th to April 1st, 2026, I'll let you know about
biking the roads, give you some tips about dealing
with mud season, tell you to hike a canyon rim,
and share how the park monitors the wolf packs.
I'll also give you the complete weather forecast,
the snow pack update, the wildlife report, and
everything else you need to have an incredible
time this week in Yellowstone. standard disclaimer
gonna miss a few details here and there so if
there's something that you need more information
on just reach out and ask any questions you may
have I also mentioned park locations very casually
so if you're unfamiliar a quick search can help
also know that this report only covers the drivable
areas of the park. I should be able to say that
by now. I say it every week, but sometimes I
stumble over words. Finally, please know that
this podcast is a passion project of mine. If
you enjoy it, I'd love a review or a quick email.
If you want to support my work further, you can
check out my hiking and wildlife watching guidebooks,
or you can join me for a guided hiking tour in
Yellowstone's backcountry. For more information,
visit Outdoor -Society .com or contact me directly
406 -589 -1873. Just send me a text. This week's
Yellowstone News. So there's not much news in
the park right now. The main story is the one
I'm going to be talking about in the experience
of the week, which is biking in the park. Other
than that, bears are active. Can talk about that
in the wildlife report and the trail report.
And generally only the northern range is open.
Things are going well in the park. That's about
it. There's no news, which is good news. I'm
sure things will pick up and we'll actually have
some news stories pretty soon. Next couple of
weeks, some roads open, things like that. But
right now, no real news in the park. If you want
some cool news, check out the Caldera Chronicles,
the USGS weekly kind of podcast, as well as actually,
I don't know if it's a podcast. I know they write
it. But check that out if you want some just
cool geyser news. Otherwise, let's talk about
the experience of the week. which is biking the
road between Mammoth and West Yellowstone. So
biking for the spring season is now officially
underway in Yellowstone National Park. As of
March 20th, 2026, the park opened the road between
Mammoth and West Yellowstone to cyclists and
pedestrians ahead of the spring vehicle season.
This annual window allows visitors to travel
park roads without non -essential motor vehicle
traffic. Keep in mind that park service staff
and plowing vehicles are still going to be on
the road going back and forth, so the roads aren't
going to be completely empty, just very little
used. The Mammoth to West Yellowstone corridor
covers approximately 49 miles and represents
the primary spring cycling route in Yellowstone.
Access is permitted only on the roads that have
been cleared of snow and are not being actively
plowed. Cyclists must yield to snowplows and
other authorized vehicles, and road statuses
can change quickly depending on weather and operational
needs. So because I am located closer to Mammoth
than West Yellowstone, I'm going to talk about
biking the road from Mammoth. So from Mammoth,
the route begins with a gradual climb past the
upper terrace loop. and then you kind of go by
a pretty waterfall and then up to Swan Lake Flats.
This is the steepest hill you're going to experience
all day, and it can be a little difficult if
you're not used to biking, but plug along and
you'll be fine. Once you're up to Swan Lake Flats,
everything opens up and it's absolutely gorgeous.
You're going to see Bunsen Peak. You're going
to see the Gallatins and all of that. You're
going to be able to have all of these views of
mountains that you haven't been able to see for
a while. It's absolutely stunning. After you
get through there, you're going to get to Sheep
Eater Cliff, which is one of my favorite places.
If the road is good, bike down the Sheep Eater
Cliff Road and then walk along the river from
there. It's absolutely stunning. Highly recommend
that. If you want to call that a day and turn
around, that's a good turning point. If you want
to keep going, then eventually you're going to
reach places like obsidian cliffs, which are
a significant geological and cultural site composed
of volcanic glass used historically by indigenous
people. Really cool place to just take some time.
Usually when you're driving, you're flying by
there. And I think there's only one pull out
and one little visitor center area that is fine.
But, you know. riding your bike is much better.
Then you're going to keep winding down and pretty
soon you're going to get toward Norris Geyser
Basin. You're going to go by the Roaring Mountain
and then you're going to drop down to Norris.
There also is a Norris Geyser Basin overlook
that you don't have to drop down to get to Norris
and you can still see the Norris Geyser Basin.
Important note here As far as I know, Norris
Geyser Basin is not open to hike right now. So
if you ride there, you're not going to be able
to walk around the basin. They're doing some
repairs last I heard. And so you're just not
going to be able to do that. However, that's
a great ride. You go there and back. Fantastic.
You can turn around or not. If you're feeling
much more aggressive about things, you could
ride all the way to West Yellowstone. If you
are riding to West after you get. To Norris,
the road descends toward Madison Junction. You're
going to follow the Gibbon River here. Gibbon
Falls is prominent and gorgeous, and you're going
to have some really cool views and opportunities
to stop in, including good wildlife potential.
Usually I don't see much at the Swan Lake Flats
area right now, but you never know. With this
winter, you might see things, but closer you
get to Madison, the more wildlife there is. The
final segment from Madison Junction to West Yellowstone
spans about 13 to 14 miles and just follows the
Madison River on a almost perfectly flat road.
Like it's gorgeous. And if you want to do that,
great. You're going to have 49 miles each way.
And so what some people do is they will bike
from Mammoth to West Yellowstone, spend the night
in West Yellowstone and then ride back. If you're
going to do that. Fantastic. Just know that.
There are no services available along this route
and food, water, probably restrooms or mechanical
assistance are not available. If something happens,
you're kind of stuck. So cyclists are expected
to be fully self -sufficient and prepared for
rapidly changing weather conditions, including
snow, wind and temperature fluctuations. Sometimes
it can seem like it's a beautiful day and then
you get beyond Swan Lake Flats and that wind
starts ripping and you're like, why didn't I
bring gloves? So. Be prepared. It's spring bicycling
and it's. It's not summer, right? It's going
to be cool, but it's also going to be cool because
there's not a lot of cars out. So know that this
early season access period is temporary and typically
ends once roads open to public motor vehicle
traffic in April. Well, you can still bike on
the roads after the park roads open to vehicles.
You're going to be sharing the narrow winding
roads with cars, so it's not necessarily ideal
if you're not experienced with that. But right
now, the Mammoth to West Yellowstone route provides
a unique and special opportunity to travel a
significant portion of the road system in a low
traffic environment. I've done this before. I
absolutely love it. If you have a good bike,
Great. If you don't, there's places to rent bikes
in West Yellowstone, or you can rent them at
Dan Bailey's up in Livingston before you drive
down to Gardner. This is a truly great experience.
And if you love biking, like just going through
Swan Lake Flats and back like to the Gardner
River and back is great. Like highly recommend
it. It's why it's my experience of the week.
So do that. Enjoy it. Let me hear all about it.
If you've done it before, what are some of your
stories? Love to share those. My tip of the week.
Maneuvering mud season. So mud season has arrived
in Dallestone National Park. My boots have proven
that after the last few hikes, so yay! If you're
planning on hiking right now, this is something
you need to be ready for. As temperatures rise
and snow begins to melt across the park, trails
are turning soft, saturated, and in many cases,
deeply muddy and slick. Spring conditions always
bring... unstable trails, snow melts gonna kind
of impact the ground, we're also gonna get some
rain and that doesn't drain very well, and the
cold ground even though it hasn't been like super
snowy the ground's pretty cold and as that warms
up all of that combined just makes the mud pretty
unbearable at times. Right now that means many
trails are a mix of mud, standing water, and
lingering snow. It's really not uncommon to hit
all three on a single hike. That's where footwear
becomes critical this time of year. Waterproof
boots are strongly recommended and even then
expect them to get dirty and not have the greatest
of traction. The trails are going to be slick,
uneven, and occasionally submerged. Even the
best traction boots in mud season in Yellowstone
are not really going to help you on some trails.
They will help you on others, so definitely have
that. Also, gators are a useful addition. They
help keep mud and water from getting into your
boots. I highly recommend bringing trekking poles.
They are a huge difference maker especially when
navigating in deeper mud or just dealing with
trying to have any traction whatsoever. I'm saying
traction a lot because traction matters and all
of this is important enough to say that in Yellowstone
The trails do not care what traction you have.
I've been saying that a couple of times now,
and I just want to stress that. In lots of places,
the mud's just gonna stick more and more with
each step you take, and it turns each foot into
a brick of mud. Sometimes the mud will just give
and you'll sink all the way in. I've been hiking
with somebody and their shoe popped off as they
sunk in mud and their shoe stuck in the mud and
then filled with the mud that was overflowing
and we had to dig out the shoe. Not ideal. So
everything you can do to avoid that, the better.
So if you see deep mud, don't step there. You
know, try and take good steps of where it doesn't
look like the mud's going to be too bad. Also,
timing your hike can help a lot. Early in the
morning when temperatures are cooler, the ground
is often more firm. As the day warms up, the
mud warms up and trails soften very quickly.
By afternoon, sections that were manageable in
the morning can turn into thick energy draining
mud. If you want the best conditions available,
start early and end early. That's your best option.
Route selection also plays a huge role. The lower
elevation trails tend to melt out first, but
they also tend to get muddy first. The higher
elevation trails may still be snow covered, which
can actually be easier to travel on than the
deep mud, depending on the conditions. If you
need help in deciding which is better, reach
out to me, I can help you. Know that hiking on
slopes of trails that are south facing is going
to be better than those that are north facing
as they get more sunlight and they dry faster.
Most of the south facing trails I've been hiking
recently are perfectly fine. The north ones,
not so much. So, you might need to adjust your
plans once you see what conditions are actually
like on the ground and just find something that
has dried out a bit more. Again, if you need
some suggestions, reach out to me happy to help.
Mud season also slows everything down. Distances
take longer, footing is less stable, and energy
use is higher. A hike that feels easy in August
can feel much more demanding right now. Planning
shorter routes and giving yourself extra time?
Very smart approach. There's really no way to
avoid the reality of mud season in Yellowstone
right now. If you want to hike, know that trails
are messy, conditions are inconsistent, and your
boots are not going to stay clean. But with the
right expectations and preparations, it's still
a great time to be out. If you embrace the conditions
instead of fighting them, mud season becomes
less of an obstacle and more of just another
part of experiencing the park as it transitions
into spring. This is a great time to hike, just
know it's Not always the most fun, but it's beautiful
out there. My random Yellowstone fact of the
week. How Yellowstone monitors the wolves. Monitoring
wolves in Yellowstone National Park is one of
the most in -depth wildlife research efforts
anywhere in the world. Ever since wolves were
reintroduced in 1995, scientists have been tracking
them in ways that go far beyond just counting
how many there are. The goal is to understand
how they move, how the packs function, how they
hunt, and how they shape the ecosystem around
them. A big part of that work starts with radio
collars. Each winter, biologists capture a small
number of wolves, usually from a helicopter,
using either darting or net gunning, and then
once the animal is safely handled, it's fitted
with a collar that sends out location data. Some
collars use GPS and transmit locations via satellite,
sometimes multiple times a day. Others use VHF
signals, which require researchers to physically
track them from the ground or from aircraft.
National Park Service says that about 30 % of
the wolves in a pack are collared, which is enough
to give a clear picture of how that group moves
across the landscape. Those collars are incredibly
important. They allow researchers to map territories,
locate dens, follow dispersing wolves, and even
detect when a wolf has died if a collar stops
moving. Over time, this has created one of the
most detailed long -term data sets for any large
carnivore anywhere. I should be clear and note
that Yellowstone's wolf research is not just
about technology. A lot of it still comes down
to people in the field. The park's wolf project
relies heavily on direct observations, especially
in the northern range where visibility is wide
open. Biologists spend hours, often entire days,
watching wolves through spotting scopes. They
track pack dynamics, identify breeding pairs,
count pups, and document behavior. These observations
are critical for understanding how packs change
over time and how successful they are from year
to year. Aerial tracking is another major piece
of the puzzle. Researchers used fixed -wing aircraft
to locate collared wolves across Yellowstone's
massive landscape. You may have spotted some
of the small planes flying in the park over the
winter and spring. There's one just out the other
day. They circle an area for a bit. And these
are the research planes. These flights make it
possible to quickly find packs, estimate group
size, and track changes that would be hard to
catch from the ground. When you combine these
flights with GPS data, you get a much bigger
landscape level understanding of where wolves
are and what they're doing. There's also a strong
focus on health and genetics. When wolves are
captured or one is found dead, scientists collect
samples like blood and tissue. They're used to
monitor diseases such as mange or canine distemper
and to build genetic profiles of the individual
wolves. That genetic work helps researchers understand
relationships with impacts, track reproduction,
and measure genetic diversity over time. Studies
from the USGS show that both disease and genetics
play a major role in how stable the wolf population
is in Yellowstone. I talked about how there was
this distemper that kind of took out a lot of
pups in the interior this year. That was all
because these wolves are so studied. In recent
years, non -invasive methods have become more
common as well. Researchers collect scat and
hair samples to extract DNA without ever handling
the animal. Camera traps are also used, especially
in the forested or hard to see areas where visual
observation is limited. These tools help confirm
pack presence, estimate population size, and
monitor wolves that are not collared. One of
the newer and more interesting tools is sound.
Scientists have started using acoustic recorders
placed along the landscape to capture wolf howls.
By analyzing these recordings, they can estimate
where wolves are, how many packs are in the area,
and how they communicate across the territory.
Thousands of howling events have already been
recorded through this work, adding another layer
to how wolves are studied. Researchers also spend
a lot of time studying what wolves eat and how
they hunt. Using GPS collar data, they can identify
clusters places where wolves stay in one spot
for a while, which often signals a kill site.
Biologists will hike to those locations to confirm
what prey was taken, it's usually elk, and to
better understand predator -prey relationships.
Long -term research has shown that the prey availability,
especially elk populations, has a major influence
on wolf behavior and success rates. When you
step back and look at just wolf monitoring altogether,
it's not just about keeping track of numbers,
it's about understanding the entire ecosystem.
Movement, behavior, genetics, disease, and ecology
all come together. And that's what makes Yellowstone
such an important natural laboratory and why
the work being done here continues to shape how
wolves are studied and managed across the world.
You see a lot of studies about these wolves in
Yellowstone. You see a lot of people watching
them. That's because they're, you know, this
test case of how do you reintroduce wolves. Very
important. They're being studied, they're being
watched, not always in the best of ways, but
Every single year, we're learning more and more
about wolf behavior and scientists are learning
how to watch them without interfering with them.
And that is awesome. And that is why Yellowstone
Wildlife Watching and the experts about that
deal with wildlife in the park are such fantastic
people. If you see them out in the field, thank
them for their work. If you see any ranger, thank
them for their work. The weather for the coming
week. So as always, this is the best forecast
for the week at the time of the recording. It
could change. It might not, we'll see, but this
at least gives you kind of an idea of what to
expect. So let's start with Lamar Valley. On
Thursday the 26th, high of 43, low of 17, there'll
be some rain in the morning, then Friday 51 and
24, Saturday 56 and 29, Sunday 58 and 34, Monday
56 and 33, with a 72 % chance of rain developing
in the afternoon, Tuesday High of 44, low of
28, currently a 65 % of 2 inches of snow. And
Wednesday, high of 44, low of 29, 64 % chance
of 1 inch of snow. The weather for Gardner, Montana,
starting on Thursday the 26th, high of 47, low
of 21, maybe some rain in the morning. Friday,
high of 55, low of 29. Saturday, high of 60,
low of 33. Sunday, high of 62, low of 37. Monday
high of 59 low of 34 with a 53 % chance about
third about 1 tenth of an inch of rain in the
afternoon Evening and Tuesday 47 and 30 60 %
chance a 1 inch of snow Wednesday 45 and 32 60
% chance a 1 inch of snow the weather for Cook
City On Thursday, high of 39, low of 15, some
snow showers in the morning, and those fade away.
Friday, 47 and 26. Saturday, 52 and 30. Sunday,
53 and 35. Monday, 52 and 32, 75 % chance of
some rain or snow starting in the late morning,
early afternoon. Tuesday, 43 and 27, 70 % chance
of 2 inches of snow. And Wednesday, 39 and 28,
65 % chance of 2 inches of snow. So, good through
the weekend, then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
look to be wet, rainy, or snowy, so we shall
see. Speaking of snow, here's the snowpack update.
As of March 24th, the snowpack is around 85 %
and normal for this time of year. The eastern
and northern ranges of the park are 102 % and
normal, while the western and southern sides
are about 75 % and normal. Last year on this
date. We are averaging around 103 percent of
normal So we're behind where we were this incoming
snow and rain that looks like it's gonna hit
at the end of the this week like Monday Tuesday
Wednesday into next week That's really gonna
help balance these numbers out after some warm
weather Road conditions the only road open right
now is the road between Gardner, Montana and
Cook City, Montana That's gonna be the case for
another couple of weeks. Please be aware that
this road can close at any time due to inclement
weather For up -to -date information, call 307
-344 -2117 for recorded messages, or you can
sign up to receive the Yellowstone Road Alerts
on your cell phone by texting the number 82190
to the number 888 -777. Camping information.
There's only one campground open in the park
right now, and that's the Mammoth Campground,
which is open year -round. I talked to somebody
that camped there the other day. They loved it.
They said that there's one other person in the
entire campground. So if you want to camp, Do
it. It's great. That brings us to the wildlife
watching update. So the biggest news right now
is that carcass that I've been telling you about
at Blacktail Ponds has had a grizzly on it. So
that's cool. There are also wolves on it the
other day. That's awesome. There's bears all
around. I went hiking at Hell Roaring and there
were tons of bear prints out there. There was
a carcass by Hell Roaring that wolves had been
feeding on the day before. And then the grizzly
came and was eating it the morning that I was
there. Didn't know that at the time, so that
was neat. There's been moose hanging around by
the Floating Island Lake area and also before
you get to Hell Roaring. between Mammoth and
Hell Roaring off in the little field. There's
also been tons of bison moving back and forth,
the pronghorn are entering the valleys. There's
eagles all over. There is energy and excitement
and people have been seeing bluebirds in the
park. And that's going to continue through this
weekend for sure. So if you're going to the park
right now, wildlife watching is awesome. There's
been a lot of wolf sightings. If you drive back
and forth, just drive out to Pebble Creek and
back and more than likely people will be watching
wolves. They might be a few miles away or they
might be really close. It's just hit and miss
right now, but animal activity is picking up.
We're also looking at some bison that are dying
as they just aren't making it through the winter,
the older ones and stuff. So those are being
preyed on by the wolves and as the bison start
birthing soon you're going to see some breech
birds things like that so there's going to be
some dead bison scattered about which means that
the predators or the scavengers are going to
be out there a lot more feasting there have been
tons of elk near the north entrance there have
been a couple foxes out near the northeast entrance.
So if you're going into the park this week, like
I said, your best bet is to drive back and forth,
get there early by 10 or so when it's warm like
it has been. Animal activity really drops down
and then picks up later in the afternoon evening.
But the biggest news right now is that that pull
out by blacktail ponds is going to be packed
because bears are feasting even before the bear
came out. It was awesome. Like I said, the wolves
were out there. And then, there's been coyotes
out there, there's been eagles, there's been
all sorts of great wildlife watching just by
those ponds by mammoth. So, enjoy. If I hear
anything else, I'll probably post about it on
my social media, but if you need anything, just
reach out to me. Happy to help. Oh, I also should
mention that I have hiking and wildlife watching
guidebooks available through my website outdoor
-society .com or you can just message me 406
-589 -1873 for a link. Happy to hook you up with
those. Ebooks are only $10 and always happy to
send those out. Trail alerts and updates. Right
now there's no official trail alerts this week.
Those are going to resume in April. but bear
sightings are becoming more common like I said
I followed some tracks they were very fresh in
the mud it was kind of amazing and I was super
excited and everyone else was like oh that doesn't
sound good but the bear wasn't anywhere near
there wasn't scatter around or anything but know
that if you're on a trail right now you're going
to be dealing with mud, and there's a chance
that bears and other wildlife is going to be
out there. And when you're dealing with less
than ideal trail conditions and wildlife, that
can make for a very unfun day, especially because
with wildlife near a trail, you're going to have
to move around. That could mean going through
a patch of snow that you're just postholing in
through a bog where it's super muddy or anything.
So head out there. Be smart. be safe, carry bear
spray, have it readily accessible, not in a backpack,
and know how to use it. That brings me to my
Trek of the Week. So the Yellowstone River Overlook
Trail at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area is
what I'm recommending this week, mainly because
it's going to be mostly dry, it's going to be
easy to hike on, and it's super scenic and awesome
with some good wildlife potential and amazing
scenery. So this is located just across the brand
new bridge over the Yellowstone River and as
you're headed toward Lamar. The area is minimally
signed, and the picnic area is home to one of
the most underrated hikes in Yellowstone National
Park. This is one of my most frequented trails
in the park, this in Hill Rowing probably. No
matter what the season, I like to go to this.
I'm recommending it this week for two reasons.
One is that the hike is snow -free. The other
is that it's short and relatively easy, and one
that never disappoints. It's best known for showcasing
the unique geology and sweeping views of the
canyon, river, and mountains of the Northern
Range. making it kind of the perfect half day
jaunt. Not only will the views just absolutely
wow you, but you may see bison, bighorn sheep,
eagles, migratory birds, pronghorn, who knows.
The only real difficulty right now for this trail
is the start. And that's because the picnic area
is currently closed. You may be able to park
at the pullouts nearby and hike up the trail,
but that privilege could be ending any day, especially
once the construction crews return to finish
the picnic area remodel. So if the pullouts nearby
are closed, you'll have to hike this trail from
the Specimen Ridge Trail west trailhead. That's
just a mile or so east of the picnic area. To
do this version of the hike, you'll follow the
Specimen Ridge Trail to the junction, which is
about a mile in distance. Please be aware that
large herds of bison often frequent the first
three quarters of a mile of this trail, the Besman
Ridge Trail West, and that's going to require
you to walk far around them, off trail, sometimes
uphill. If this isn't something you're comfortable
with, do not attempt it. From the junction, turn
right and follow the canyon rim as far as you
wish. Make sure you wander around here and take
in the views. The side of the Yellowstone River
from this trail is truly gorgeous. Once you're
at the ridge, I say go at least to the bend of
the river by Bumpus Butte, which is about 1 .2
miles from the region. The path here isn't complicated
and right now the main source of having to do
any sort of a detour is going to be because of
mud, bison, or bighorn sheep. Stay on the canyon
rim when you're hiking and you're going to recognize
Bumpus Butte that I mentioned because there's
going to be steam coming off the base and it's
directly across from Calcite Springs, a popular
place as you're headed up toward Tower. This
is usually where I recommend people turn around
as it gets pretty all the way to the picnic area,
but if you do this, you're fine. Just sit and
enjoy the views. There's some rocks by that Bumpus
Butte area. And I usually have lunch there. I
watch animals. The marmots are going to start
coming out any day. There's little wildflowers
that are popping out. There's birds flying overhead.
And it's honestly like right now, I love this
trail. I love the energy here. I think you'll
love it too. And it's not too bad. If the parking
area near the picnic area is open, then it's
about the same amount of distance. but you're
just going to be hiking up a hill to start, then
following the canyon rim the river is going to
be on your right, and then you're going to get
to Bumpens Butte. If you get to Bumpens Butte,
hike all the way up though until you get to the
junction. The view at the junction is one of
my favorite little gems of this that not everybody
does. All right, that is the end of this week's
episode. In the next episode, I'm going to return
with all the information you need to have a good
week in the park, including the wildlife, weather,
and trail updates. Until then, book a tour with
me. Pick up a guidebook of mine, and happy trails!
Copyright 2026, baby.